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Monday, August 20, 2012

It's been almost four years since I went on a real vacation.
I've been living so frugally and trying to save money all the time, and even when I'm making enough money I'm working so many hours on such intense shoots that I can't even think about taking time off for travel...
But I just booked myself a flight to HAWAII for February of next year!
(I know, I know, too far off in the future to get excited about yet... but damn it I'm excited anyway!)

I can't wait! Not only do I get to skip out on miserable NY winter for two weeks, return to one of my favorite places ever, and hang out with my one of my best friends ever, but I am going to get to taste some new veggie burgers (Hawaii has great vegetarian food!) thousands of miles away from New York! Woohoo!

So if anyone wants to recommend their favorite veggie burgers in Hawaii... you've got roughly six months to speak up! (not that I have a countdown app on my iPhone or anything like that...)

Since I was downtown seeing a movie anyway, I decided to stop by for dinner afterwards. (Side note: the movie was 2 Days in New York which I had eagerly anticipated, but unfortunately did not enjoy as much as I had its predecessor, 2 Days In Paris). Anyway, onto the burger…!

Although the menu says it comes with cheese, I ordered mine without – and learned from the waiter that if ordered without the cheese and the veggie bacon, the burger will actually be vegan (the bacon contains egg, apparently). Yes, even the bun is vegan.

Called the “Big Mack Daddy”, this burger is obviously trying to be the vegetarian version of McDonald’s “big mac”. But far superior to anything McDonald’s could ever dream up – I mean, look at that crispy bun! Sweet and fresh, very high quality bread, with a flakey exterior.

The patty is a thick, faux-meat hunk of (presumably) soy protein with little bits of other vegetables peeking out. It was very chewy, and held together well. Definitely not for those who hate faux-meat products, but still far superior to the “hockey puck” veggie burgers of lore!

If the patty might have been a little dry on its own, I didn’t notice because the toppings were so juicy and flavorful. I barely noticed the veggie bacon (the thin, soy-based kind, not the tempeh which I prefer) because the lettuce, tomatoes, and abundance of ketchup, mustard, and “special sauce” (that’s what the menu called it, anyway…) took center stage. I’m not really a mustard fan, but it seemed appropriate here, and actually enjoyed it in spite of myself. The whole thing was a bit messy to eat with all these toppings, and I kept dripping mustard and ketchup all over myself… but isn’t that also in keeping with the tradition of eating a good, messy burger?

Since Kate’s Joint sadly closed recently (does anyone know why, by the way???), it’s good that there’s still at least one place in this city where vegetarians can find the McDonald’s of veggie burgers! And I will definitely come back to try the other sandwiches (many vegan options!) on Tiny’s menu.